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-Official
supplier of the World Championships and producer of "PEGASES" |
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Interview with Jac Janssen, head of J&F Since
the 1950ies, J&F is known as experienced international
apparatus-supplier for gymnastics, having supplied the Olympic
Games in Mexico-City in 1968 and Barcelona 1992. In Rotterdam in
1987, they did the whole World Championships, but complex service
in the dimensions of this year has not been done yet. Nothing
less than 28 containers were delivered here in Gent, full of
carpets, floors and apparatuses for 6 complete training gyms, one
warming-up gym and the World Championships podium on top of it...
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Jac Janssen
(on the right) with
FIG-vice president Vieru (ROM)
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 :
Mr Janssen, athletes all around
appreciate the quality of training and competition equipment.
That causes satisfaction, doesn't it ?
Jac Janssen: Yes,
of course, but the World Championships have not started yet, there
is a lot that could happen. And we did have some problems concerning
the huge technical dimensions.
: We
have heard about problems with the uneven bars...?
| Jac
Janssen: Yes, that was such a situation for example:
Actually there is a FIG book about how the apparatuses have
to look like. But the rules have been changed, without
changing the technical descriptions accordingly. If she
wants to, every gymnasts can change the height of the
apparatus within 5 cm, for example. There were 20 countries,
who wanted to change the height, that means one third of all
participants...we were not prepared for that and it does not
make sense: It takes you up to three minutes to change the
height, calculating with 40 gymnasts that makes two hours !
The FIG will have to find clear rules for that. :
One
could see a lot of changements around the carpets under the
apparatuses during the training...! |
Jac and Mario
Janssen, owners of J&F
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Jac
Janssen: That is another unsolved problem. Actually, a 10
cm thick carpet around and under the apparatuses is according
to the rules, but now it is allowed to choose a 5 cm thick one
instead. Fortunately we are a modern enterprise and can produce and
deliver those carpets in a few hours. So they are here when the
World Championships start. However, I find this rule unbearable fort
the media and the spectators. Such changements around the
apparatuses do not only take a lot of time, they are not attractive
at all on top of it. Clear and equal conditions for all is what I
favour. Here, the FIG is required.
: The
first World Championships in the new millenium will be rembered as
"PEGASES - World Championships" probably !
Jac Janssen: It
seems, that we have made a motivating innovation with the
development and the production of the new vaulting table. It is
being received very well by the athletes in the gymnastics centres.
By now, we have delivered 311 apparatuses worldwide and the
production is going on, the number of orderings is increasing. And
apart from that, the apparatus does really give wings, just like the
legendary creature in the Greek myths did give wings to the athletes:
I have heard that some gymnasts, such as the Austrian Zimmermann and
the Greek Mellissanidis will create completely new elements on it.
That can only be a good sign.
:
Surely, the
development is not accomplished yet ?
Jac Janssen: No,
actually it is only starting. During the World Championships, there
will be another vaulting table, on which some bio-mechanical and
physical measurings will be made, in order to improve the parameters.
Such criteria as the depth of the hands touching the table, maximal
power and rebound (reactive force) are important and are part
of the quality of the new apparatus. At the beginning, the FIG
consciously allowed a great variety of these characterisitics, in
order to give way to the versions of different producers. After the
World Championships, the task is to make these criteria more precise
and Janssen&Fritsen will do a good part of that, of course.
Therefore the days of the World Championships are exciting for us,
too !
: Thank
you very much Mr Janssen and have a successful time at these World
Championships!
>>...more
about PEGASES
(Jac Janssen was
interviewed by Eckhard Herholz, GYMmedia)
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